Girls second LP Father, Son, Holy Ghost has been awash with critical acclaim this year, the band have now reached a size that perhaps didn’t seem possible from their low-key but infectious beginnings on tracks such as 'Lust For Life'. However, not only has their stature and fan base grown, but their music too, no more so is it embodied when I see them play at the Manchester Ritz this month: flowers scattered across the huge stage and three gospel singers in tow all the way from the U.S - the sounds created was at times gargantuan, not only in execution but in ambition and scope too. Speaking with Christopher Owens, I ask has he been pleased with the success of the record? “Very much so” he declares “people always love our records and that makes everything better for us, there's a lot of things that are very trivial, so we're happy people like the most important part of what we do” Have the general interpretations of what Girls set out to do on this been met correctly? “I have no idea. A lot of the times yes, but often, no”
It’s rare to read a Girls review without there being a constant contrast and comparison drawn to other artists, can this be a frustrating element? “They're both right and wrong, either way it feels so unimportant” comes Christopher’s reply, before expressing his slight irritation “It's frustrating when people make assumptions and present them as fact. They are hardly ever spot on” Indeed, this LP is perhaps the band’s most expansive and varied, from the 70’s rock, riff-heavy outpourings of ‘Die’ to the soulful and delicate ‘Love, Like A River’ – the album seemingly feeling like it could shoot off at any possible tangent, is how the songs are approached or is there more cohesive thought process to them I wonder? “There's an exact plan for each song, but yeah, from song to song there is a lot of variety. So yes and yes” before clarifying slightly “There isn't much if any experimentation in the studio, but there can be in the writing process”.
The back story to Christopher’s life is now a well known one, and one that I won’t re-tread here extensively here, but it includes being brought up in the Children Of God cult and being shut off from any outside form of art or technology until he was a teenager, it’s a path that has been both interesting and varied. In a recent episode of ‘In My Room’ in which Christopher shows the camera around his living room, he displays an army helmet he found in the road that had been hit by a mortar when out doing volunteer work in Yugoslavia, was this a frightening memory I enquire? “It wasn't frightening as much as really cool to find, but we did a lot of volunteer work that was really heavy and life changing” Christopher almost enthuses, before remembering his time as a fifteen year old there a little more “But we didn't go into any war zones, just places where war had been, so it wasn't scary, just sad and crazy. War is horrible; yeah I can remember all that, it wasn't that long ago. He also showed his first guitar, which once belonged to Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac (He famously left to get a magazine the day of a Fleetwood Mac show only never to return after he decided to join the Children of God cult that day). What are your earliest memories of picking up the guitar and playing? Did someone teach you or were you an autodidactic? “My sister taught me but I quickly passed her and kept the guitar as my own. Then, I've taught myself ever since and just played a lot and tried to get better all the time, I'm still getting better every year” before jovially adding “I'm trying to learn Bossa Nova now!”
Reading past interviews, Christopher been remarkably open and honest about aspects of his life. I wonder if this has this come back to bite him at all? Or is he content for it to be out there?“I'm fine man” comes the laid back response “I don't care what people think of me. I know myself and I'm my toughest judge. There are times I wish people would realize that it doesn't mean they know everything about me” he replies, “but whatever…” Have many journalists abused this information? Or have people generally been sensitive and respectful about it? “They have abused it. They are not respectful. I feel like they don't care about me at all as a person, just a story” Christopher replies with a clear sadness and frustration. Likewise, he has spoken with frankness when it comes to talking about drug-use. I was wondering, has anyone ever criticised him for this? “Not that I know of really, but I don't ask. I don't know, maybe my friends parents? But mine don't.” I then ask directly:as drug-user, can America be a frustrating place to live? They seem to have this zero tolerance ‘war on drugs’ approach to anything deemed recreational. But yet it’s the highest prescriber of often very dangerous and addictive prescription drugs for adults and children in the world.“I travel the world, Japan, China the UK, places in Europe are not only more uptight but just have less drugs even available, can you imagine how strict it is in Israel or Saudi Arabia?” Christopher muses, before adding, “The U.S varies from state to state. Where I live there's no war on drugs. I agree on the prescription thing, it's typical hypocrisy”. Christopher told Pitchfork before he embarked on this tour that he had to tackle a very serious opiate addiction in order to be able to come and perform properly, has this been difficult I enquire? “I don’t want to discuss that” comes Christopher’s firm but perfectly understandable response”.
Christopher also tells me “I’m so homesick right now” and even declares, “I wish I never had to leave home though…. I'd like to have a home, for once in my life” before sighing “One day”. Indeed, for a man who has had such a erratic and varied upbringing it’s understandable that he would seek to plant roots, and while he tells me “I’m on tour two thirds of the year” the remaining third finds him at home in San Francisco, which he seems to have begun to call home, “I love San Francisco. Yes.” He gleefully informs me. Are Girls embraced when they play hometown shows? “Yes, very much so” He enthuses, “It's a huge event, it's very positive and unlike anywhere else. San Francisco is where my friends are and my friends are my family”.
Christopher Owens penchant for honesty stretches way beyond his interview’s and his lyrics, as his latest single Lawrence, a track not taken from the latest album “It's a song that stands on it's own, it's a special single” he tells me, is an open letter to Felt, Denim and Go Kart Mozart frontman Lawrence, in which Christopher openly expresses his love for his work and presents the song as a gift-come-gesture to him, he passionately declares in the open letter “You gave me something to love, or in other words you gave me love itself. You took something that can sometimes feel so common and dull and brought it back to life with so much beauty and verse” and if that’s not enough, the single will be out on heart shaped red vinyl, November 28th. Did Christopher get a response, I wonder? “His response was private but very sweet and positive” he beams.
We wrap up the interview with a few 2011 centred questions, as the end of the year draws upon us.
High point?
Recording the new album
Low point?
Steve Jobs dying
Favourite record?
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Favourite song?
I Love You Like A Love Song Baby, by Selena Gomez
Favourite new band?
I don't have one, sorry
Favourite show played?
Second night in New York on the US tour
Favourite show seen?
Portishead in Berkley at the Greek Theatre
Hero of the year?
Harry Potter
Douche bag of the year?
It's not my place to say